Behind-the-scenes Government talks continue

Maryan Street (left) and Dr Peter Sharples

Talks between party leaders over Government formation wound down as Prime Minister Helen Clark and National leader Don Brash headed back to Auckland.

Talks between parties are expected to continue behind the scenes at chief-of-staff level with the aim of being ready to move quickly to formalise government arrangements if numbers stay the same after final election results are posted on October 1.

Helen Clark's chief of staff, Heather Simpson, sat in on all the talks Helen Clark held with the leaders of the Greens, United Future, the Maori Party and New Zealand First.

Helen Clark has secured an assurance from New Zealand First leader Winston Peters that his party - with seven votes - would give Labour stability by not standing in its way when forming a Government because it is the larger party, and not voting on issues later that could bring the Government down.

MPs, apart from new ones, have been advised to head home until final results are known.

New MPs were inducted into Parliament yesterday, with some looking like old-hands and others like nervous children on their first day of school.

The September 17 election result delivered 31 new MPs, though three had been MPs before losing their seats at previous elections.

Yesterday Parliamentary Services ran an introductory seminar for the newcomers who were shown the basics like how to get in and out of the buildings and how to claim expenses and work out air travel.

At a media photo call some of the new MPs seemed in their element regaling journalists with their views and anecdotes of their first day in Parliament. Others had already learned to be cautious and offered "no comment" to even simple questions.

Labour MP Maryan Street looked right at home, taking notes.

Returning National MP Anne Tolley said she was feeling good, especially as her return was as an electorate MP (for East Coast) instead of the list.

The man who many pick to be a parliamentary maverick, the Maori Party's Hone Harawira, was nowhere to be seen, unlike his new colleague, Pita Sharples, who was in an enthusiastic mood.

Asked how he and his new MPs would fit into the parliamentary life, Dr Sharples said they would make it their own. "I think they will influence the code of behaviour, the etiquette of behaviour in Parliament."

Some think that Dr Sharples will struggle with the jacket and tie code required in the House.

Dr Sharples said he would obey the rules, but he had hopes that Green co-leader Rod Donald might one day be successful in his bid to remove the rule about wearing ties.

Dr Sharples was wearing a traditional seashell decorated necklace.

"There's some thought that Rod Donald might lead a charge to have some kind of alternative to a necktie, like a taonga [treasure] as well," Dr Sharples said. "But that's neither here nor there to me. I am here to do a job."

Dr Sharples said he had learned a lot in the seminar and it had come as a welcome surprise to him that his wife could fly down and join him in Parliament at any time at the taxpayers' expense.